Can some of you help me to understand the purpose for having a lanyard on a fixed blade survival knife? I don;t get it.

I know what a lanyard is. I can imagine a few uses: tying off the knife to your wrist or elsewhere if you're working with it in a place where, if it fell, it would damage it or be lost forever; hanging it from a branch near where you're working on a project (skinning or dressing an animal); etc. But aside from that, I can't imagine using a lanyard.

Some of the fixed blades I've seen will have 6" of lanyard hanging from the rear tang. I don;t get it.

Please help with your insight.
Thanks

people working on or near water use them alot.

Lanyards can help you to keep your grip on a knife in many different ways.

It can help your knife work as a better chopper by extending your chopping radius by a couple of inches. On the other end, it can help you choke up on the knife for more fine work closer to the tip.

If you are in a situation where you want to use a lanyard and still be able to release the knife, instead of putting your hand into the lanyard loop and securing it to your wrist, you can use it like a strap, secured to your thumb.

Lanyards are a must on all of my fixed blades. 6" hanging off the end of a tang isn't too much, especially if you are wearing a thick coat sleeve over the wrist it goes around. They not only prevent losing a knife over such things as great heights and water, etc., they can also prevent damage to a knife if it is dropped on to rocks, etc. Safety is also a consideration. If you drop your knife onto your legs, feet, etc, it can get nasty. <img src="/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

Peter of Fallkniven explained a little secret to me once. Theres a small choil on the F1 and a few other models. And of course theres a lanyard hole. I like the choil, it's great for breaking wire. Peter likes it too: the two are securing points for the blade blanks during manufacturing. <img src="/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> Actually, a lanyard mounted to the but is only marginally safer. If you drop it the blade is oftentimes ( depending on balance) readilly in harm's way. The USAF survival knife actually has it right with the two holes in the upper guard for that spear sillyness. A lanyard there lets the blade tip harmlessly up when dropped. The late Chris Janowskie's RANGER knife incorporated a lanyard/ neck carry that doubled as part of the rangefinding system. There are times when a lanyard is asking to catch on heavy brush and pull your knife free. A deep and secure sheath should eliminate the need for a passive lanyard. It's easy enough to put one together if you think it necessary.

No, you're getting it. Those are the major reasons why you might want a lanyard on your knife. I think, based on your tone, you may be underappreciating those reasons, however.

Are you talking about loop lanyards or the braided type you sometimes see on leather braiding websites? All the reasons here for a loop lanyard are good, but I've never really seen the advantage of a braided lanyard. Why put a piece of string on the end of your knife? Besides it looks good?

Some put them on to store an extra bit of cordage as well.

Many of my knives have lanyard holes, and as a hobby knife maker (not really make, complete from kits), I usually include lanyard tubing, but the only one of my knives that actually has a lanyard on it all the time is my Randall #5. I have never felt the need to actually use it, but I leave it on, just in case. If wandering thru thick brush I usually tuck the lanyard under my belt as some added insurance against loss...

While a lanyard can help you retain your blade and help you to adjust the useful length of your blade, I only have a lanyard on my SAK. And it is primarily, as norad45 said, to have a little bit of cordage, and secondarily, to make it easier to take it out. I personally do not like the potential of a free swinging blade attached to me. I also don't normally use a fixed blade knife as a chopper.

I do like and use a lanyard on flashlights though.

I read "Hatchet" and want a lanyard hold in the handle of my knives. I don't want to drop it in the water or whatever. I do not put any cord in it. If I think I could lose the knife while holding it, then I'll put a cord through the hole.

A simple one can be there for extra cordage. Say a monkey chain which will come apart in seconds. I put those on all kinds of things like zipper pulls. A more complex braid, especially in leather with turkshead knots around it, maybe to much trouble or nearly impossible to take apart and turn into cordage once its set for a while. I love braiding leather, but though they look very nice I cant see the point of putting one on a working knife.

Dropped my knife in the tall grass while it was dark.

Didn't like it much.

All my knives except the spyderco delica in my waistband for defense have braided paracord lanyards.

(I'm a never-can-have-too-much-paracord convert) <img src="/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

The lanyard might also find use as the string for a firebow

Yes, I was under-appreciating the reasons for a lanyard, but only after reading the replies and hearing you say it does it occur to me. I can see a lanyard (as a loop) as being effective, but what I had in mind were those knives where there is some braided line (about 6" or so) dangling from the lanyard hole. I suppose you could store extra cordage that way, but it sure seems like it would often get in the way. You know, kind of like certain motorcycle riders will have leather strips dangling from the ends of the handlebars (now, please don;t tell me there is a purpose to that <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />)

When (someone) said one of the uses could be to extend the handle a little for "chopping", I really didn;t envision holding on to the lanyard and wailing away at something. He can correct me if I'm wrong, but what I think he had in mind was sliding your hand down the handle a little (like maybe two fingers on the handle and the last two gripping the lanyard), thereby giving you a little more leverage. You know, I'm not sure I'd be tempted to do that but you never know what you might need to do in a situation.

I think, like one of you said, it might be best to have a lanyard ready... like maybe in the extra pouch on some sheaths, or somewhere..... then put it on when the need arises.

Thanks for the input...

I suppose those tassles hanging off the ends of chopper handlebars are so they will resemble the ones hanging off the handlebars of my daughters old tricycle (ooooh that's bad)...


Sometimes it is nice to have a flexible appendage other than the handle on my bigger knives, like when I am batoning through wood and my knuckles start complaining about the added vibration. There is a way to use a lanyard fob on the end of a good knife for additional throwing power and control (kinda like an atl atl technique), but I'm not a knife thrower much.

I suppose if you had a hole at the choil and one at the butt you could span a lanyard as a moderate knuckle protector for harder work, though I'd probably go with gloves instead.

You got the extension for chopping pretty much right, but you also have the loop around your wrist. What you are doing is extending the arc, and thus the power of the chop.

My survival focus is largely on winter, and I rather hypocritically haven't lanyarded a lot of my gear yet. In deep snow, if you drop it, there are times where all you can do is mark the location and wait until spring. But a high visability lanyard (yeah for orange paracord) makes it easier to spot, becuase you get a tail. And lanyards can help secure things to you- use a cheapie key ring biner, clip it to your belt (not a belt loop, they are too weak) and snap your knife and light to it, against the off chance of the sheath/pouch opening. Although I like a dual fastner sheath whenever possible for the little stuff (velcro + fastex, or 'cro or snap with kydex, preferably), as it gives you a similiar degree of security.

The big thing with lanyards, be they for the belt or around the body/neck, is a break away. Loosing your knife is bad. Getting stuck on something and dragged or throttled or literally left hanging with no way to get down is worse.

It is a tail, makes it easier to find in snow or tall grass if dropped, and if it is a high visability color material that has possitive bouancy I imagine it might it easier to find if dropped in shallow but murky/dark water.

What I've done on some knives is put on a smaller loop, maybe 1-2" diameter. That's always there, and mostly out of the way. Then I'll carry a couple of pre-made loops about 12" diameter or so. Then I just throw on the larger lanyard onto the knife as needed, with a girth hitch (aka cow hitch).
J

The loop on the hilt of the knife can be looped over the thumb & run over the back of the hand. The loop & the handle meet near your little finger. This helps prevent your hand from going forward on the blade when stabbing something or someone & keeps the handle firmly in your hand when withdrawing the blade, helpful if the blade is stuck in something or someone. My "Kabar" (Camillus) does not have a lanyard hole. The loop is worked into a turk's head (knot) at the end of the handle.

I use high-visibility orange cordage, it does come in handy to spot my knife just in case. I store more cordage on the lanyard (for other uses just in case) and adjust the length by using the easy right-hand Reeve Coil:

http://www.chrisreeve.com/knotright.htm

On a machete, a wrist loop reduces the grip you need on the handle so you
can chop longer before tiring, like the webbing on cross country ski poles.

It should be tight enough that one twist will keep your hand in the right
spot on the handle.

It is also a safety issue if you are working around others, so the knife doesn't take off at someone if you lose your grip.

My two favorite reasons for a lanyard are:

1. It makes withdrawal from a deep pouch sheath much easier.

2. The lanyard can be tucked up under my belt to "secure" the knife in the sheath. Quick and easy.

Whether for a lanyard or not, Simon, I kindly like that right-hand Reeves coil. Gracias.

That right-hand Reeve Coil looks just like a plain old hangmans noose...

"On a machete, a wrist loop reduces the grip you need on the handle so you can chop longer before tiring, like the webbing on cross country ski poles."

I read about this in Don Paul's "Everybody's Knife Bible"
The right length wrist lanyard lets you hold the end of the handle between thumb and two fingers and extends the radius of the blade when swinging it in a chopping motion. The knife still needs some weight in the blade for this to work but it does seem to help. (on my Ontario Spec-Plus Pilot Survival knife which I carry for backpacking/dayhikeng)

Unimogbert

Shhhhhhh, just drink the KoolAid. That is a custom knot. <img src="/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

Oh...OK...

A simple loop on a knife handle is for retaining your blade if it slips from your hand. The braided or looped kind is so you have some cordage along with your knife if you find yourself in a survival situation with no other supplies. Cordage is good for everything from food procurement to shelter building and firestarting.

As a custom maker I include a length of 550 cord with all my knives so the customer has the option.

I tend to have a length or paracord in the hangman's noose style on several of my field knives. When tied up it's less than 2" long but unravels to about 13" or 14" long which is plenty to make a loop when needed or for other uses <img src="/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

That reminds me of the article in the June 2006 issue of Knives Illustrated magazine about the Osborne Safety lanyard. Knifemaker Warren Osborne was training for a cutting competition, using a rear lanyard, when the knife slipped out of his hand, and nearly severed a forearm muscle. His Safety Lanyard, as he calls it, attaches through a hole near the front of the handle, like a hollow handle pin, or in the ricasso. The loop is short, and twisted to tighten the grip. If the hand slips, the knife stays put. He said that it's not really a new idea, as old night sticks and billy clubs had forward lanyards for easy access.

I have lanyards on almost everything. The one on my fixed blades is usually the "hook over the thumb" type. Not only does it give me a much better grip on the knife, it is impossible for my hand to slip onto the blade.

Almost nothing comes out of my pocket that does not already have a lanyard or get immediatly clipped to one. When on the move, it is just too easy to drop something and when it is gone....it is gone!!

What you do is put the loop around your THUMB, then pass it around the BACK of your hand and then you adjust the length by twisting the lanyard until you can hold the knife with whatever number of fingers you need...
The Becker handles work VERY well with a two finger grip in this way...
You can stop the lanyard from snagging, by having the two ends threaded over a tight fitting rubber washer and then a knot placed at each end at the correct distance... You do NOT knot the ends together... When you carry it, push the washer all the way to the handle so that you have two loose ends hanging from the knife... They will not snag on everything... When you go to use the knife, slide the washer all the way to end end where it is stopped by the knots, and use it as a lanyard...
A lanyard is also useful for Scandinavian style sheaths that have only the very end of the grip exposed, so that you can get the knife out of the sheath easier...